The production of polymers is a multi-billion dollar business. This business produces billions of pounds of polymers each year. Millions of dollars have been spent on developing technologies that can add value to this business.
One of these technologies is called metallocene catalyst technology. Metallocene catalysts have been known since about 1960. However, their low productivity did not allow them to be commercialized. About 1975, it was discovered that contacting one part water with two parts trimethylaluminum to form methyl aluminoxane, and then contacting such methyl aluminoxane with a metallocene compound, formed a metallocene catalyst that had greater activity. However, it was soon realized that large amounts of expensive methyl aluminoxane were needed to form an active metallocene catalyst. This has been a significant impediment to the commercialization of metallocene catalysts.
Borate compounds have been use in place of large amounts of methyl aluminoxane. However, this is not satisfactory, since borate compounds are very sensitive to poisons and decomposition, and can also be very expensive.
It should also be noted that having a heterogeneous catalyst is important. This is because heterogeneous catalysts are required for most modern commercial polymerization processes. Furthermore, heterogeneous catalysts can lead to the formation of substantially uniform polymer particles that have a high bulk density. These types of substantially uniformed particles are desirable because they improve the efficiency of polymer production and transportation. Efforts have been made to produce heterogeneous metallocene catalysts; however, these catalysts have not been entirely satisfactory.
Therefore, there is a need in the polymer industry to provide an economic material to activate metallocene catalysts, and there is also a need for efficient heterogeneous metallocene catalysts. The inventors provide this invention to help solve these problems.